This invention relates to thrust vectoring during take-off and/or landing of an aircraft using, for example, a turbofan engine.
Take-off field length is an important parameter for large commercial aircraft. Enabling a commercial aircraft to utilize a shorter field length enables the aircraft to operate at a greater number of airport facilities. The take-off field length requirement is affected by factors such as aircraft gross take-off weight, aircraft aerodynamics, engine performance and operating environment. These same parameters also affect the ability of the aircraft to land on shorter fields.
Conventional engine installations on commercial aircrafts typically utilize a fixed nozzle that generates a fixed effective gross thrust angled relative to the aircraft horizontal axis. The fixed thrust angle is designed to provide the best overall performance throughout the aircraft flight envelope. However, this thrust angle may not be optimum specifically for take-off conditions.
What is needed is a commercial aircraft engine capable of changing the thrust angle during take-off and landing conditions.